Falling in Love
by Sierra Rose 22
Summary: Alissa has learned to ride and Adam has agreed to take her to town. What could possibly go wrong? With Alissa involved...Anything! 3rd story in the series. Warning: reference to spanking and light spanking


All recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. All original characters and plots are the property of the author. No copyright infringement is intended.

Warning: discussions of spanking, minor spanking

This is the third story in the series, and I recommend that you read the first two so you can see how the story began for Alissa. Once again this stubborn, independent gal gets herself into trouble. But Adam is finally starting to realize that maybe she is just worth all this trouble.

**ooooooo**

**Falling in Love**

oOoOoOoOo

It had been about 6 weeks since Alissa had walked through a door in a gift shop and found herself in a world she had only read about or watched on television. She was beginning to wonder if she would ever go back to her modern world, or just remain here in the old west forever. She was starting to adapt, but she sure missed the little things she took for granted—like a hot shower and indoor plumbing! It was especially hard being a modern day woman conforming to the way women were supposed to act here and the way men treated them.

Alissa was use to going where she wanted, when she wanted without having to justify it to anyone. Not that way here! She couldn't go anywhere without an escort and that was really starting to bother her a lot. She understood it was very dangerous here for women, especially a green horn like herself. But that still didn't make it any easier for her to accept.

There were a lot of things she really enjoyed about living here also. She liked how men stood when a woman entered the room, and the way a man would tip his hat and pull out a chair for you. The general respect people had for one another and the way neighbors would help each other in time of need was truly admirable. She loved how the Cartwright family loved and respected each other. Being an only child and having her parents die when she was young, Alissa had never been around a close family unit like this.

Oh they weren't perfect, and they certainly had their disagreements come up from time to time, that is for sure. But you always knew that they would fight to the death for one another and what they believed in. These were all wonderful things that she was getting use to and found them rather nice. But of all the things she was starting to really care about here the most, in this little world she had found herself in—it was the most stubborn, opinionated, bossy and drop dead handsomest man that she had ever met by the name of Adam Cartwright!

"No! No! No!" declared Adam, as he paced back and forth in front of Joe and Hoss. "She just isn't ready yet, or responsible enough."

"Oh come on, Adam, she has been riding for three weeks now and we think she is ready," protested Joe, as he looked to Hoss for agreement.

All this discussion was going on in front of Alissa as she sat on her horse daydreaming. He is just so handsome and strong pacing back and forth. Even when he's angry, he is gorgeous to look at. It seems the longer I am here, the more I daydream about him. I try not to think about him all the time, but I am beginning to realize that I am starting to fall in love with this man. Even when he is angry, it just makes him look more appealing thought Alissa. Then she frowned slightly. Unless of course, you are the one he is directing his anger at. She rolled her eyes as she remembered some of the disagreements they have had since she arrived.

oOoOoOoOo

"Ali! Ali!" Hoss shouted, bringing her out of her daydreaming and back to the discussion that was going on in front of her.

"What?" she answered back, a little startled.

"Don't you want to go into town with us on your new horse?" Joe asked, as both men stood in front of her looking up at her.

"Oh, of course I do. You and Hoss have been working with me for a long time now and I think I am ready. Besides, I am going stir crazy and need to see some new scenery. I would definitely like to go to town."

And maybe see a mall or two she thought to herself. Good luck with that one she grinned.

"Stir crazy, what in tarnation does that mean, Joe?" questioned Hoss, as he looked at Joe with a puzzled expression on his face.

Adam continued to saddle Sport while he and Joe kept discussing her trip. Ali once again started to daydream. She remembered back to the first couple of days when Joe and Hoss were trying to teach her to ride. ...….

"Look Ali, all you have to do is put your foot in the stirrup and I will help you up," pleaded Joe, for the tenth time that day.

Joe and Hoss had been calling her Ali most of the time since she arrived. But Adam liked the way her full name sounded on his lips and called her Alissa whenever he addressed her.

"Hoss is holding the reins, so she won't go anywhere. We got you a real gentle mare that is easy for you to learn to ride on."

They had been trying to get her on the horse for the last two hours now and were beginning to lose their patience.

"Oh, I just wish I had my little Mustang," she said wistfully.

"Then I could go wherever I wanted to without having to have someone try to teach me to ride this big critter."

"You had a mustang?" asked Little Joe, as his eyes widened in disbelief.

"Then why are we trying to teach you to ride if you already had a horse?"

"I didn't own a horse, you goof. I owned a Mustang. Oh, she was so pretty. She was bright red with black racing stripes…and boy could she cruise."

"You had a red horse?" Hoss asked with alarm.

"I ain't never seen a bright, red horse… and it had stripes on it?"

"I never owned a horse, you two idiots. Why do you keep saying that?"

"Well, you were the one that said you owned a mustang. And a mustang is sure a horse as far as I know," stated Joe, looking none to happy with where this whole conversation was going.

"Oh, a Mustang is a horse too, not just a car? I never knew that," Alissa replied, as she twirled her hair around her finger.

"What in tarnation is a car?" asked Hoss wearily, as he scratched his head.

Great thought Alissa, this is not going well and I stepped in it again. How can I explain what a car is? It hasn't even been invented yet.

"Oh never mind. Let's just get this show on the road," she said nervously, as she finally put her foot in the stirrup and swung up onto the horse. She hoped that would change the conversation, but she wasn't that lucky.

"What show are you talking about?" asked Little Joe, as he ran his fingers through his hair looking totally confused.

"You know, Ali, some of the things that come out of your mouth are just plain loco sometimes," said Hoss, as he shook his head.

"I know, Hoss. You ought to be on this side of my mouth. I never know what is going to come out either," she laughed and adjusted her stirrup.

It was becoming increasingly harder to watch what she said sometimes, because the definition of things in her time, were not always the same here in the Cartwright's time. More than once she had said something that totally confused them or made them blush. She had to watch herself on more than one occasion. She wasn't a person who swore, but if she got really mad, a swear word might just slip out and then they would look at her completely taken off guard. So she had been really careful not to swear around them and had bitten her tongue when she had gotten mad. So far she had done all right. But some of the things she said definitely took them by surprise, and today was no different. Who knew that a Mustang was a horse too, Ali laughed. I just thought it was a car. Hopefully they will let it drop because I sure can't tell them what a car is. They would never believe me anyway she grinned.

"Well then, little gal, how does it feel in the saddle? Do the stirrups fit you good?" Hoss asked, as he was leading her around the corral.

"I guess they feel okay. But then I'm not sure how they are supposed to feel. Just take it slow and easy pardoner (she thought she would throw in a little western slang) as it is a long way down from here," answered Ali nervously, as she held on for dear life.

And so her lessons had begun. Hoss and Joe were very patient with her and she had only fallen off twice. As time went on she had become quite comfortable with her horse, and was starting to ride and even keep up with Joe or Hoss depending on who she was with that day. She had named her horse 'Shylo'. She was a beautiful Palomino. Joe had taught her how to groom her horse, and she didn't even mind cleaning out her horse's stall. Boy if her roommates could only see her now she had thought one day while mucking out the stall, they wouldn't believe how the girly girl they knew had become a cowgirl...…...

"Ali, did you hear what I said?" asked Little Joe impatiently, as he stood in front of her looking up with a scowl on his face.

"Huh, oh sorry Joe, I guess I was daydreaming again."

"You sure do that a lot. Well Adam here has agreed to let you ride into town. The only thing is he wants to be the one to ride with you. That is the only way he would agree to let you go. At least you get to go into town… even it is with big brother," Joe grinned and winked at her.

"That's fine with me. I'll be ready in 10 minutes." She jumped down and hurried into the house to change into one of her riding outfits.

"All alone with Adam… this could prove to be dangerous," she laughed to herself, as she came out of the house and saw Adam waiting for her with the horses.

"I'm ready to go, Adam. Thank you for taking me. I really appreciate getting off the ranch."

She smiled down at him as he helped her up onto her horse.

"I am happy to do it, but I'm still not sure you are ready," Adam commented, as he threw his leg over Sport and adjusted his hat.

"Oh come on, Adam. Is it that you think I'm not a good horsewoman yet, or is it that you are afraid I might embarrass you in town? You know, I do say some of the craziest things according to Hoss," she laughed, as they started down the road towards town.

After they had ridden for a few miles, Adam turned his horse down a small side road.

"There is something I would like to show you. I think you will really like it, Alissa," Adam grinned, treating her to one of his dimpled smiles.

"That sounds wonderful, Adam," Ali said excitedly, as her green eyes sparkled.

They continued on in silence a little farther down the road as Alissa admired all the beautiful scenery around her and started thinking about her new life on the Ponderosa. It still is hard not having a cell phone she thought, as she looked out at the vastness of the area. A person could really use one out here in the wilderness. She had tried to get a signal when she first arrived, but of course there wasn't one.

Just getting myself to slow down has been the hardest thing for me to do she thought, as they rode along, each lost in their own thoughts. I'm use to such a fast paced life with school and work that at times I'm bored out of my mind. I'm just so glad Joe and Hoss suggested I learn to ride. That took up some of my time and has really helped. But I still need more to do. That's why this ride to town is so important to me. I want to see what is going on in town and if there is something I can get involved in there.

Maybe I can get a job on the newspaper? That could prove to be interesting, especially for the good folks of Virginia City. Can you imagine if I wrote an article about what technology is in store for them in the future? Probably not a good idea she decided. The shock would be too much she giggled to herself.

After riding about a mile further, Adam brought her out of her daydreaming when he said, "It is right up here… just a around the hill."

As they came around a small hill, a beautiful little pond with several trees all around it suddenly appeared. Purple and yellow wild flowers were scattered all around and beautiful green field grass waved in the summer breeze. The pond wasn't very big, but it was lovely nestled here among the trees. Several ducks were swimming slowly along on the pond, which finished out the picture of this quaint little setting. It was almost hidden from view, and if you didn't know it was here, you could have easily missed it.

Adam stopped his horse and got down and came over to help Alissa. He reached up and put his hands around her waist as he gently lifted her off her horse and set her on the grass.

"You sure are a little thing, Alissa. It was like lifting air just now," Adam smiled, as he winked at her.

There it was, that Adam wink. That wink could melt butter. It sure is doing a good job on melting me she sighed. Oh, Adam Cartwright, it would be so easy to fall in love with you she thought, as she smiled back at him as they walked over to the pond.

Alissa put her hand over her eyes to block the sun as she looked out over the pond.

"Adam, it is truly beautiful here."

"Yes it is. That is why I like to come here to think, read or just be alone."

Adam casually reached down and plucked a blade of grass and placed it in his mouth.

"Have you brought many girls here before?" Ali asked, hesitantly.

"No, you are the first person I have brought here. It is a special place to me, and I haven't wanted to share it with anyone before. I just felt like you would enjoy it as much as I do."

"I am honored that you would bring me here, Adam. I wasn't even sure you liked me very much," she laughed.

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, it seems like you are mad at me a lot of times or we are arguing about something I have done or shouldn't do."

"Yes, well you do some really careless things that make me angry, but I have always liked you. Sometimes you just do things without thinking them through," smiled Adam, as he lay down on the grass and supported himself on one elbow as he looked up at her.

"Really, just what careless things have I done?" she questioned, slightly annoyed now as she folded her arms in front of her and glared down at him.

"There have been several things over the last few weeks, but I guess the worst was the loaded gun incident," replied Adam, still smiling.

"The loaded gun incident as you call it wasn't my fault. I told you that you shouldn't have had a loaded gun in the house in the first place. Then it wouldn't have gone off when I dropped it!" she exclaimed angrily, as she sat down in front of him with her arms still crossed in front of her.

"I didn't bring you here to argue," Adam said softly, as he reached over and put his hand gently on the back of her neck and brought her to him for a slow, sensual kiss.

At first Ali thought she heard fire works going off in the distance, but then realized they were only going off in her own head. Mmmm this man can definitely kiss, and he has the softest lips she thought, as she felt herself becoming lost in his gentle kiss. She could have kissed him forever, but Adam slowly pulled away and gave her one of his devilishly, sexy grins.

"I probably shouldn't have done that, but I just couldn't resist. You are so cute when you get angry. It seemed like the only thing to do to get you quiet was to kiss you. I guess it worked," he laughed, as he stood up.

Maybe I should get mad more often thought Ali, as she leaned back smiling.

"Well, Adam, you may have silenced me, but I still blame you for the loaded gun. But you can kiss me again if you want," laughed Ali playfully, as she looked up into his handsome face.

Adam grinned as he reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet. "Sorry, little one, but we need to get going if we want to get you to town at a reasonable hour."

They both walked over to the horses and Adam helped her up onto Shylo. Then he mounted Sport and they started back down the road.

After they had gone about a mile, Ali got a twinkle in her eye as she asked, "Care to have a race?"

"I don't know if you are ready for that just yet," replied Adam, as he eyed her warily.

"Wanta bet," grinned Ali mischievously, as she kicked her horse and flew off into a gallop.

"Damn, fool girl!" growled Adam, as he kicked Sport.

Ali was a ways in front of Adam, but he made quick gain on her as they galloped across the field. Ali was having a wonderful time as the wind was blowing her long hair behind her as she gave Shylo her head to run as fast as she liked. She felt like all her troubles had been lifted and she was floating on air. The sun was shinning and all was right with the world—then all of a sudden that feeling changed as she felt herself being pulled out of the saddle and thrown over Adam's horse. Adam had pulled her off her horse and now had her face down in front of him over Sport. She tried to push herself up, but Adam just pushed her back down as he slowed his horse down.

"What the hell are you doing?" yelled Alissa furiously, as she kept trying to push herself up.

Suddenly she felt three sharp whacks on her backside as Adam ordered, "Be still or you'll get us both killed, and watch your language, young lady!"

Adam rode Sport over to a grassy area and let Alissa slide off before he turned his horse around and quickly went after Shylo. He returned a few minutes later with Alissa's horse behind him. Alissa took a moment to get her balance, but when she did, she stood up with her hands on her hips and started to give him a piece of her mind.

"What the hell do you think you were doing, Adam Cartwright? You could have killed me!"

"I have already walloped you once for that language. You keep it up and I will be happy to add several more!" Adam warned, as he got off his horse and came over and stood in front of her.

Oh, I just wish I was taller. Because standing under someone's chin isn't real intimidating Ali fumed, as they stood toe to toe, each with their hands on their hips.

Ali spoke first. "Why did you do that?"

"If you would have taken the time to look at where you were going, you would have seen that you were heading right into an area that is full of gopher holes!" declared Adam angrily.

"I was?"

"Yes, you were. Luckily your horse didn't stumble and throw you or you could have been killed."

"Is Shylo all right?" Ali felt tears starting to cloud her eyes.

"Yes, she is fine. I checked her out before I brought her back. That was a foolhardy thing you just did, Alissa. You didn't even know this field, and yet you took your horse on it at a gallop. An experienced rider would have watched the field as they rode so as not to take their horse into a gopher area where it could stumble. It is lucky that Shylo didn't break her leg and you didn't break your neck," exclaimed Adam, as he finally got his temper under control.

"We're going home now."

Adam grabbed her arm and pulled her over to where Shylo was standing. He helped her up and mounted Sport, and they started to ride back to the main road.

"I am sorry, Adam. I didn't realize there were holes in the field. I would never do anything to hurt my horse."

"This is what I was talking about. Sometimes you just don't think before you do things, Alissa."

"I guess you are right about that. Sometimes I just do things without thinking. I have always done that. This is all so new to me. I am not use to all this 'wild west stuff'. Before, the most I had to worry about was where I got my morning latte and if I wanted a bagel with cream cheese or plain," she said quietly.

"What's a la tay?" asked Adam, as a puzzled look settled across his handsome face.

"Oh, it is a type of coffee you can drink where I come from. You wouldn't like it, I'm sure. I really am sorry, Adam. Next time I will listen to you… I promise."

"Can I have that in writing?" Adam asked, as he tried to keep a straight face.

"Very funny," Ali said, as she reached down and stroked Shylo's neck.

The rest of the ride home they rode in silence. As they approached the main house at the ranch, Ben came out of the house and over to them with a big smile on his face.

"Well how was your trip to town? Did you enjoy it, Alissa?"

"We didn't get to town, pa," answered Adam, as he helped Alissa down from her horse.

"Alissa decided to try her hand at horse racing. She went into a gopher area, and I had to pull her off her horse before something bad happened. So we have cut this trip short and come back early. We aren't going to town today."

"I see," said Ben. "Are you all right, Alissa?"

"Yes, I am fine… thanks to Adam's quick thinking. I am so sorry I almost injured my horse. I would never hurt Shylo." Ali started to cry and ran towards the house.

Adam's voice was barely above a whisper as he ran his hand through his hair.

"I guess I was a little hard on her, pa, but she could have been killed. She just took off wanting me to race her before I could tell her about the gopher holes. All I could think of was her lying in a heap on the ground if her horse had thrown her."

"I know, son. This all seems to be really new to her. Why don't you go and try and comfort her. She seemed pretty upset when she ran to the house. I will take care of your horses."

Ben patted Adam on his back and smiled as he turned and started to go towards the barn. A few minutes later, Adam softly knocked on Alissa's door.

"Alissa, may I speak with you?"

The door slowly opened and Ali stood there in her stocking feet looking very small and very sad. Adam felt even worse when he saw her like that. She was such a little thing and standing there she looked so unhappy. But he knew she had to learn about how to be a responsible rider. She could have been injured or killed today, and he couldn't stand the thought of life around here without her. She certainly kept things hopping and there was never a dull moment at the ranch since she had arrived. And now he was beginning to realize that he liked all the excitement she brought into the Cartwright's lives—especially his.

"Have you come to yell at me some more?" Ali asked, as she let out a long sigh and went over and sat in the chair.

Adam did his best not to smile as he told her, "No, there will be no more yelling… at least on my part!"

He finally couldn't help from grinning as he added, "I don't know if you will yell or not though. You do yell a lot too, you know."

Ali's eyes widened in disbelief, "I do not yell a lot!"

Rolling his eyes, Adam smirked, "You don't?"

"Oh never mind. So then, did you come to apologize?"

"Apologize for what?" asked Adam, as he watched this beautiful girl with the face of an angel go from being sad one minute, to a little spitfire ready to do battle the next.

There she goes again he thought. She gets into trouble and then turns it around to look like you were the one that did the wrong thing. He just shook his head and grinned.

Alissa started pacing back in forth in front of the chair using her hands to emphasize her point.

"Well, I am glad you pulled me off my horse… so not for that. But you…you spanked me and I think you should apologize for that!" she declared stubbornly, as she sat back down in the chair and lifted her chin slightly.

Leaning against the doorway, Adam shook his head as he softly chuckled.

"I did not spank you. I merely gave you a couple of swats to keep you from getting us both thrown off of Sport. As Hoss would say, I didn't even hit you hard enough to stir up the dust. But if I ever find the need to give you a real spanking, believe me you will know it."

Adam continued leaning in the doorway watching her reaction before he added, "And besides, I certainly didn't like the language coming out of your mouth. A proper young lady doesn't swear… I believe you swore twice, didn't you?"

Looking over at Adam with a slight frown, Ali paused long enough to roll her eyes, "Yes I did, but it was no big deal!"

With a raise of his eyebrow, Adam frowned slightly as he declared, "Well in this house and to me, it is a big deal! And as your guardian it is my duty to make sure you act like a proper, young lady. Swearing is not proper for a young lady or any lady for that matter… so no more swearing. And there will be no apology for that either."

Ali frowned and then her expression suddenly became serious as she asked, "Is Shlylo alright now, Adam?"

Adam stood up straight in the doorway as he noticed her expression change.

"Yes, she is fine. I came up here to explain to you that I am not mad about your horse. I know you would never do anything on purpose to hurt Shylo. I think you have learned a valuable lesson today and hopefully will not repeat it when we ride again."

"You will take me riding again?" Ali asked excitedly, as she jumped up from the chair grinning.

"Of course I will. It would be my pleasure to take you riding again, my beautiful Alissa. But this time there will be no racing!" Adam said firmly, as he came over and swung her up in his arms and danced around the room with her.

"Oh, Alissa, my life certainly isn't going to be dull now that you are in it," he laughed, as he slowly bent his head down and kissed her tenderly.

There goes those crazy fire works again thought Alissa, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and eagerly kissed him back.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Alissa was bored…really, really bored. She tried reading a lot, but this only reminded her of how much she missed her journalism classes. She really missed school and some of her friends. She tried to find things to do around here, but helping Hop-Sing with the laundry and cleaning was starting to be very tedious. It had taken her three days just to get Hop-Sing to let her in the kitchen after the little 'gun incident,' even though she kept explaining to him that she really hadn't tried to kill him. The gun had just fallen from her hands and accidentally gone off. Eventually, he had accepted her apology and had let her back into his kitchen, but he always was watching her out of the corner of his eye.

Ali wandered out of the house and down to the corrals where they were working on breaking one of the horses they had recently rounded up. There were several ranch hands sitting on the corral fence watching Little Joe work. As Joe got finished with one of the horses, he smiled when he saw Ali and started walking towards her. He took off his hat and started dusting off his chaps until he was beside her. Looking down at her with a lopsided grin, he finally placed his hat back on his head.

"Hey, Ali, whatcha been doing?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing," she replied rather harshly.

"Could you please take me into town today, Joe? The last time I started to go to town didn't end too well," Ali said begrudgingly, as she grimaced slightly.

"So I still haven't been there except for the short time I got my new clothes."

"I wish I could, Ali honey, but I still have a few horses to break and then I have to set some fence posts."

Ali grabbed Joe's arm as she said eagerly, "Well, I can go by myself...I know the way."

"No way!" exclaimed Joe, as he narrowed his eyes.

"Adam would have my hide and yours too! Besides, a young lady should never go to town without someone with her. It is just too dangerous around here. Virginia City is a pretty hard town, Ali."

"Please take me, Joe. We will only go for a short time and then you can be back by the afternoon to do your chores," she pleaded, as she grabbed his arm again and smiled.

"I don't know, Ali. You promise you will only stay a short time so I can be back early?"

"Cross my heart, I promise," she said excitedly, as she crossed her heart.

"All right then, but when it is time to go, I'm not waiting for you… we will just leave. Do you understand me?"

Joe leaned forward slightly as he looked down into her eyes with a firm stare letting her know he wasn't kidding. Poor Joe, if a little visit to town could only be that easy. But he will learn quickly that when you are dealing with Alissa, nothing is that simple.

Three hours later Joe and Alissa rode into Virginia City. Ali had been here once before to get her new clothes, but they had only stayed long enough to get them and leave. So she was eagerly taking the sights all in as she rode down the street in the buggy next to Joe. There were noises everywhere she turned, with horses racing down the street, cowboys yelling at each other, and children laughing and playing. Ladies were doing their shopping while stopping to chat with one another. This looks like something out of a John Wayne movie she thought, as she suddenly felt so out of place. A few tears slowly started running down her cheek as Ali thought of Dorothy and The Wizard of Oz.

"This sure isn't Kansas, Toto," she muttered under her breath.

"Now I know how Dorothy must have felt. I am so out of my element. Just what am I doing here?"

Just then Joe turned and saw that she was crying.

"Ah, Ali, what's wrong, honey? I thought you wanted to come to town?"

"I did, Little Joe. But this whole thing is so far gone from what I am used too, I just feel overwhelmed," Ali said sadly, as she wiped at the tears on her cheeks.

"You have no idea what my life was like before I came here," she cried, as she dabbed at her tears with the hem of her dress.

"What whole thing?"

"Everything! This wild, west stuff and unpaved streets and no cars and no phones and…"

She didn't finish her last sentence because just then she saw a man who was beating his horse with a whip. In a flash she was out of the buggy and running over to stand in front of the horse. She held up her arms while she stood in front of the horse so the man had to stop or he would end up hitting her. It all happened so fast that Joe didn't even know what was going on until he heard her yell. He was still sitting in the buggy trying to figure out what she had said earlier.

"Don't you dare hit this horse again, you jack ass," Alissa exclaimed furiously, as she continued to hold her arms up in front of the horse in order to protect it.

"Get out of the way or you'll get it too," the man growled, as he started to raise the whip over his head.

Just as he started to bring the whip down on Alissa, someone grabbed his arm and spun him around.

"Not in this lifetime, mister!" declared Adam, as he hauled back and punched the man in the jaw.

The man quickly fell to the ground in a heap. But after shaking his head, he got up and came at Adam. Then the fight was on. Both men rolled around on the ground until Adam stood up and picked the man up by his shirt front and punched him again two more times. This time the man didn't get up, but just lay there and moaned. Adam turned and walked towards Alissa while she stood there with her mouth open and her eyes as big as saucers. But when Ali saw the look on Adam's face, she suddenly felt very nervous. He was mad, real mad and he was looking at her with that same look as he walked towards her.

About this time Little Joe had jumped out of the buggy and came over to stand by Alissa. It had all happened so fast, he hadn't even had time to react.

"Are you all right, Ali honey?" Little Joe asked, as he looked her up and down to see if she was hurt.

"I am fine," she protested, as he grabbed her shoulders and turned her around looking her over.

"I want to see how the horse is."

Ali started to walk over to the horse, but Adam caught her arm.

"What did you think you were doing? You could have been hurt very badly, Alissa! Why did you do such a foolish thing in the first place?" Adam turned her to face him.

"That man was beating that poor horse and no one was doing anything about it! I wasn't going to just stand by and let it happen. So I thought if I stood in front of the horse… he would have to stop."

"Alissa, a man can do what he wants with his own property. We may not like it, but that is the way it is around here."

"Well, that's just stupid!" she exclaimed, as she threw Adam's hand off of her and started towards the horse.

The horse was a pathetic looking thing standing there. It had been beaten so often that it just stood there with his head hanging down.

"Adam, just look at this poor creature. Someone needs to do something. I can't stand to see an animal abused. You could never get away with this where I come from. You would be put in jail for this kind of abuse. Could you buy the horse from that man, so this poor animal could finally have some love in its life?"

Adam just shook his head and said, "I will try."

Turning on his heel, he went over and started talking to the man about his horse. Ali couldn't hear the conversation, but she could tell there was definitely some yelling. Finally, Adam threw some money at the man and after picking up the money off the ground, the man eventually walked off.

"Alright, Alissa, the horse belongs to you now. I don't think he will be much good to anyone, but he is all yours."

"Thank you so much, Adam," she replied happily, as she put her arms around his waist and gave him a big hug.

About this time, Little Joe thought he should try and explain why he was here with Ali. He knew his older brother would want some answers to that question—and soon.

"Adam, I am so sorry about all this. She just flew out of the buggy before I even knew she was gone. I would have stopped the man from hurting her big brother, but I saw you had everything under control," Joe explained, as he grinned nervously at his older brother.

"Let's just get out of here and go home now," insisted Adam, as he took Alissa's arm and started walking toward the buggy.

"But I just got here," protested Ali, as she tried to pull back on Adam's grip.

"Don't push your luck, young lady. You are real close to ending up over my knee for your foolishness at almost getting yourself hurt very badly. I hate to think of what might have happened if he would have brought that whip down on you."

Ali stopped walking and glared at Adam. "You wouldn't dare!"

Adam turned and looked at Ali as his eyebrow arched, "You want to try me?"

The two just stood in the street glaring at each other until Adam started to move toward Alissa.

"Ohh, you make me so mad, Adam Cartwright!"

Deciding that the middle of the street may not be the best place to have a battle of wills, Alissa quickly decided to walk along side of Adam to their buggy and not push her luck. She figured there would be another time they could have this debate!

Adam tied the new horse to the back of the buggy and told Joe to ride Sport back to the ranch.

"Great, once again I didn't get to see much of Virginia City. At this rate I may never get to see it," she grumbled to herself, as Adam helped her into the buggy.

"I think you have been here long enough for one day. You know, Alissa, trouble just always seems to find you. I know you meant well, but you have to understand there are certain laws and rules around here that have to be followed whether we like them or not."

Well, maybe it is time some of those laws are changed she thought to herself, as she settled next to Adam in the buggy. Maybe this is a cause I can to do to keep busy and do a good deed at the same time she smiled slyly.

"Alissa, what are you thinking about?" Adam asked, as he turned and saw that sly smile on her face that he was beginning to know very well.

"Oh nothing, Adam," she smiled sweetly, as her eyes twinkled mischievously.

He could tell by the look on her face, she was definitely thinking about something that would probably get her into more trouble, and it would eventually fall on him to get her out. Trouble just seems to gravitate to her like a June bug on a duck he chuckled softly to himself, as he picked up the reins.

"You sure pack a mean punch, Mr. Cartwright," she said playfully, trying to change the subject.

"I'm sure glad you are in my corner!" Ali added, as she put her arm through his.

Adam urged the horse forward then looked over at a smiling Alissa.

"I just have a feeling, Alissa, that I will be in a lot more fights with you around!"

Adam laughed and gave Alissa one of his delightful winks, as he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Probably so, Adam… probably so," she giggled, as she happily kissed him back.

TBC

I hoped you enjoyed this story of our modern, fiesty gal and Adam. These two are definitely starting to fall in love. But of course, true love never runs smoothly as Adam finds out when he becomes Alissa's knight in shinning armor and has to save her again from one of her escapades.

If you are enjoying this series, please let me know by a PM message with any comments. Love to hear from readers. Also, love to read reviews so please read and review.


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